Kohana Sampler, in case

Once opened, an assortment of roasts awaited me – a few medium roasts and a few dark roasts.

Kohana Sampler, Opened

We tried the Kohana Blend medium roast first, on Mother’s Day morning.  The first surprise was the different color beans in the bag.  The aroma was fantastic, and the coffee was rich and smooth (at least, it was the way I take it, with cream).  We made it in a pretty standard drip coffee maker so you don’t need special equipment to enjoy the coffee, but I do want to try it in a french press sometime.  I wasn’t the only one raving about the coffee that morning.

Kohana Blend

I’ve tried two of the dark roasts now (including Austin Rocks), and two of the medium roasts (including Kohana blend), and I definitely prefer the medium roasts – they have a rich flavor without any bitterness – although my wife tells me I just may be making the coffee too strong which might put the dark roasts a bit over the top.  The Kohana blend is by far my favorite to this point – but we’re only halfway through the samples!  Several more to try over the next couple weeks for our weekend coffee.

Look for another update on this space in a few weeks!

Lola has a feel that is somewhere between bar and coffee house.  The color palette is coffee house, but the bar setup implies you might want to have a glass of wine in the evening.  The furnishings are a combination of leather seating and modern surfaces.  There are coffee bags decorating the ceiling.

A view from the back of the coffee lounge

But down to the main event. The coffee. I tried a double cafe mocha, and it was fantastic.

A double cafe mocha

It was rich, but without getting overpowered by the chocolate (even at the bottom of the cup).  The foam on top was just right (I noticed it, but it didn’t interfere with drinking).  They took the time to do a little foam art as well (always a nice touch that says either “you’re special to us” or “we’re just that cool we can do coffee art and still make money”…).  There are some pretty awesome looking desserts in the display case, but it is 8am.  I had heard (via Yelp) that there were good breakfast tacos, but I didn’t see any, and this blog is about coffee anyway, right?

Bonus points for having power plugs scattered about inconspicuously.  And more points for commenting on my shirt (a picture of a coffee cup running on empty with all kinds of warning / danger signs – a bit like your laptop battery display).

Yelp Reviews are overwhelmingly positive. The Lola website has a little “virtual barista” to recommend coffees to you if you’re not sure what to order.  I’d recommend just consulting the barista though…

I recently stopped by and was surprised by the half-price coffee drinks before 11am!  Take that, Starbucks.  I didn’t take a picture of the scene, but there was a film crew shooting a coffee-conversation scene the day I stopped by.  This place has a cool vibe and a nice area for sitting outside on the patio – shaded from the heat, but also sheltered against the rain. The inside seating area is pretty small, but if you want an intimate conversation, it’s perfect.

Drip Coffee

A Latte in a to-go cup

The latte was good but not remarkable – they don’t waste any time on decor or flair – just delivering a quick cup of coffee.  I managed to resist the dessert display… but it sure was tempting.

Yelp Reviews again are mostly positive.

Illy Espressamente

This place looks fantastic – modern, sleek, and coffee-centric.  And they made a great latte, and the next day, mocha latte.  They also clearly served a lot of straight shots of espresso, and I was tempted to try that but just never made it back for a third dose.  I was in Las Vegas for a convention, and this place did a great business as a result.

What was the downside? The cost.  A large mocha (3 shots of espresso) was $8.75.  That makes Starbucks look like a bargain.  Ok fine, you could argue the Illy mocha was better, but I think most of that price was going to the high priced rent. At least the high prices came with a good ambiance, a lot of European clientele lending authenticity to the coffee experience, and a friendly staff that remembered you even though you’ve only been there once before.

Yelp reviews were generally positive, most of the negativity focusing on the price.  I should have mentioned this place has a million varieties of gelato as well.

I recently received a Yelp email reviewing coffee shops in Austin and it gave me a few new ideas to try:

• Austin Brevita
• Anderson’s,
• Geniune Joes

It also recommended Flight Path, which I’ve been to before (back when it really was on the flightpath, and it was so noisy when a plane went overhead that you couldn’t think).

I’ll have to try out the other locations (they’re on my list!).

Apparently, besides being quite rare, they are also quite tasty when brewed into coffee.  A pound of Civet coffee beans is approximately $227.  And you thought Starbucks was expensive!

The New York Times has a pretty amusing and educational article on the subject. Wikipedia does not disappoint: there is an extensive article on the subject with links to other sources.

Hayes Valley blend from Blue Bottle Coffee

I recently returned to San Francisco for business and decided to pick up some coffee beans for a friend (and a bag for myself!).  Of course, another latte was a must.

When I walked over to the display of coffees, I noticed they aren’t categorized the way some are (no “dark” or “medium” roasts… ) – but they had interesting sounding names.  There was a helpful gentleman working at Blue Bottle who made recommendations based on how we thought my friend might be preparing his coffee.  And then he recommended beans for my espresso as well.

So I checked in with my friend, Peter, and he reports that not only does it smell fantastic, but it makes a great coffee with his french press.  The espresso beans I brought home fill the room with a great coffee aroma when I make an espresso or latte, and the flavor is really rich.  Too bad they only sell half-pound bags…

Cafe Borrone has a great outdoor patio, as well as indoor seating.  There’s a parking garage adjacent, and they’re also a short walk from the Menlo Park train station.  The desserts are fantastic, but they might distract you from getting a really nice latte or mocha to sip while you catch up with friends.  I should thank my friends Kristin and Riz for introducing me to this place.

There are over 470 yelp reviews, with over 350 of them being 4 or 5 stars.

This is a "double" Vietnamese coffee, pre-stirring.

After stirring, it has a nice rich color

From the street or parking lot, Triumph Cafe doesn’t look like much – yet another strip-mall cafe.  However, Triumph has a hidden gem of a back patio, surrounded by a lot of greenery and shade – a nice little oasis.  In the spring and fall in Austin, its a perfect place to sit outside and talk a bit too long over coffee or lunch.

There are other places to get Vietnamese Pho and other cuisine, and I like some of them better. But this place has a nice laid back atmosphere, and they didn’t look at me funny when I ordered my Vietnamese coffee hot instead of cold (usually people will pour it over ice, but I’ve never been a big fan of ruining my coffee with ice)…

(yelp reviews here, mostly positive, especialy with regard to the coffee)

The coffee there was good – but the first time I ordered a “Mocha” there they made me a “Kennedy Mocha” which has about 10x the chocolate of any normal mocha latte, complete with flakes of chocolate on top.  The lattes were good, service was pretty efficient considering the traffic volume (most independent places don’t have quite the speed of operation that places like Starbucks and Peet’s have).  They have a collection of other somewhat unique (or at least uniquely named) drinks but unfortunately the menu isn’t posted online!

Yelp Reviews are similarly positive.

I believe this is the Kennedy Mocha